ReArranging What Doesn't Fit
by CrownedIahos
Summary: This is my way of letting out my disgust with the death of Severus Snape in DH. It was unjust and therefore in my mind, null and void. So in my own way I am resurrecting him. This is what would have happened if one of the Golden Trio had acted different.
1. Action

A/N: This is another short fic. It'll be under ten chapters. Just like 'Smile' unless I change my mind and then we'll both find out where this story will go.

* * *

Hermione was sitting in the hole with Harry and Ron, watching the goings on with Snape and Voldemort. They had just got here, not two seconds ago. Hermione knew where the conversation was heading with every slight hint Voldemort threw out. She was frightened that Snape was not going to make it out. She watched Nagini floating safely in her bubble.

She might not have gotten the best reception from Snape but that was not a reason to let him die.

She made her decision. Quickly she shoved the two out of the way, running out the hole.

She heard her name whispered softly, but she refused to answer. Quickly she burst out from under the tree. Her foot caught on a root and she fell to her knees. She pulled at the leg, the root now holding her hostage. She shoved off her shoe and her foot came loose. She started to run, but the weight of the only remaining shoe slowed her down. She paused long enough to throw it off as well.

Soon she was flying as fast as her feet would carry her, thankful that the battle was taking place somewhere else. She ran into the open part of the castle in front of her. Her feet slid across gravel, scraping but not cutting. She praised whatever deity that watched over her as she ran to the only place that held anything that would help her.

A screech met her ears and she slowed to a stop. She had precious little time and this hesitation couldn't be fitted in. She whipped around the corner, stunning whoever it was around the corner. After seeing Tonks, she shook her head, running full force again.

She was driven, maybe it was the taunting voice of Voldemort across the grounds. Maybe it was the need to save someone. Maybe it was because she was really a martyr Gryffindor after all.

Whatever it was made her run barefoot through the emptying castle hallways.

She twisted her ankle slightly on her way down to the dungeons, but met no resistance down here. No one was worried about these dark corridors. That was fine with her, she needed free space. She rushed to Snape's office door. It was still warded. She pulled out her wand, trying many things. She heard a soft but gruff chuckle after two minutes.

Looking up, she couldn't contain her fear. There in all his evil glory was Fenrir Greyback. He was hunched slightly, the shirt he wore stretched over his hulking shoulders. She stepped back, her wand trained on his chest.

"Oh, come now little pretty, I just wanted to help."

Hermione didn't speak, she just watched the beast, saw his chest heaving from breathing, his nostrils flaring as he took in her scent. She was disgusted by him, and though she still didn't have time for this, she waited for him to attack. She wasn't going to miss when she finally attacked. She didn't have room to run and get a second chance.

Stepping forward, Fenrir bared his teeth. but it seemed to Hermione that he was smiling.

"Come to old Fenrir, dear. I'll protect you."

He was within touching distance now. And she still had not attacked. Even she wondered what was going on for a second.

Then she saw the bleeding wound on Fenrir's torso. His ribs on his left side had to be broken. A lung must be punctured, that was why he was breathing that way. And it seemed the force of whatever had hit him split the skin.

He stumbled forward more, that was the first time she actually noticed him stumbling. His left leg was injured too. She waited til he was right in her face. He grinned thinking that sheer fear kept her still. He reached to her throat, but before he could touch the skin, she Crucio'd him back down the hall. He landed on his left side, howling even louder because of the dual pain. She smiled, getting back to work on the door.

It opened easily. She rushed in, finding his stores quickly. She checked for wards again. There were none. She reached into the stores. Searching frantically for what she wanted. She found all of it. Quickly she shoved it into her pockets. Putting an unbreakable spell on it. She didn't want a foolish thing like tripping and landing on them to foil her whole plan. Fenrir was gone when she got in the hall. She took advantage of this, making good time. She got past the place where Fred had been killed. Her anger making her move faster. No. No one else was going to die if she could help it.


	2. Acting Quickly

She was still rushing, knowing that with every breath she took her Professor got closer to his last. Her feet moved but they seemed to move so slow. Like the ground just moved under her feet not letting her get where she wanted. She pushed harder, her muscles protesting against the overuse. She resisted them, using her sheer willpower to keep her moving.

Wands flung spells off walls next to her, breaking off chunks of it and tossing it behind her. She couldn't care less about who shot them and why. She had something she had to do. Something that she couldn't refuse. Something that drove her feet and made her breathe.

It was as if something was giving her strength, something was holding her, pushing her and with winged feet she soared across the grounds, the transition from stone floors to grass registering on a higher level. She felt the wind and the rain, which had started as though the heavens themselves were crying. As though the heavens felt her desperation...or they were supplying her with the things she began to feel when she brushed them off her cheeks. The sight before her must have been the reason.

She was too late....she was too late.

Harry and Ron were running towards her, Ron's eyes blinking in the moisture that flowed down his face from the sky. Harry's hand was red as though he had been biting it.

"Hermione, where in Merlin's name...?!" Ron threw this broken sentence at her and she had to grip the earth with her toes to stop moving.

"What happened?" she asked her voice breaking.

"He's dead, Voldemort killed him." Harry informed her with the knowledge she'd rather not have heard. "There was nothing we could do. He gave me this though." Harry held up a flask, one she hadn't seen before. It was bent in an odd manner, as though whoever had made it had been distracted.

"No." she felt her lips press out, her tongue feeling the wet air as she licked her dry, cracked lips.

"Hermione, Harry has to find out what that memory is before He starts attacking again. Come on!"

She hadn't realized they had walked past her til then. She looked up, seeing that she was shorter than them. Her knees were wet, her shirt sticking annoyingly to her chest. She shook her head, water cascading down her cheeks from her eyes and the rain.

"No." she mumbled again, her body stuck between standing and falling to the wet earth, ready to sink in.

"Hermione, let's go!!!!!" Ron screamed at her, tugging on her arm forcefully. She fought him, unlatching his fingers, knowing a bruise would be there when this was all over.

"NO!!!!"

Ron looked at her funny, his brow furrowed. Harry just stared, half his body ready to run. She nodded to his pleading eyes.

"Go."

He nodded back, taking off. Ron called to him, but he didn't turn. Hermione rose off her knees to her feet, shoving Ron to where Harry had disappeared.

"Go!" she ordered. Ron hesitated. She sighed, shoving him harder. "Go!" he moved and she pushed him even harder."Go, you mindless git!!! GO!!!"

He went, leaving her where she was. She stayed there for a couple more seconds. She wanted to follow them, to forget her own mindlessness. She had an obligation to see Harry to whatever end. Was she taking back all the years she protected him by abandoning him when he most needed her? Was she turning her back on Harry for a man that neither cared nor thought of Harry's safety if not for his own gain?

Was she about risk everything she'd built around herself for one man? One man?

She didn't have to answer that question or any of the others because her feet turned her towards the Shack, her toes catching random tufts of the wet grass and slipping. She never fell though, her time spent on her knees was gone. She again had spent too much time doing unnecessary things.

Her lips moved against each other making words. But sound had changed to nothing. She heard nothing. Not the rain, her feet against the grass, the fighting voices and actions of the people far away, not even her own heart. She heard silence. Like the eye of the storm. Calm had set in around her and she used this push of unblocked land to reach the Willow and slid nimbly into the hole before any branches could attack her.

The crawl to the Shack was even quieter than the outside. But then again it was louder, seeing as she started to hear her heart.

"I'm coming, I'm coming...." she thought, trying to reach the man at the end of the tunnel, most likely laying in a pile of undignified bloodshed and pain. Most likely laying in the ugliest house, with the dirtiest floor, sightless eyes looking into the nothingness he probably expected to see on the other side of whatever this that we call life is.

She couldn't stand the image that implanted itself on her lids when she finally broke through the end of the hole.

"No." she yet again mumbled, her tired body falling to the floor.

She crawled the rest of the way, the room shrinking so that there was no difference between the hole that led here and the room itself.

His body was draped oddly, like a carpet moved up by someone's foot. Turned and battered, the Potions Master she knew was lost in this wrecked silouette of a man. Tears still poured from her eyes, and she knew without a doubt that she cared for him. Not like love, he hadn't yet earned that from her, but the sort of care one would give a friend, a mentor, someone they thought highly of.

It was not beyond her to say that she thought highly of Severus Snape. She felt as though she understood him a bit. Like seeing meaning in a Picasso portrait. Something in the man that lay before her made her imagine such things.

Professor Snape, a Picasso. She could see the similarities. The way he hid things behind false looks and words, the rare occasion when you could see him in his true form, when he was making a potion.

She had learned much from those times, the times when he would grace them with shows of his brilliance, his prowess in the arena of potion making. She could see him now, a filmy version cloaking the empty corpse in front of her.

She knelt by him, dragging him to the wall behind her. She set her back against it, laying him in her lap, his blood soaked neck staining her shirt. His hand were loosely dangling by his sides, blood on them as well.

She touched her hand to her pocket and pulled out the objects she had acquired from his stores. She set them in a little row, like surgical tools.

First, she grabbed the anti-venom of snakes. It was by great luck she'd found this...or perhaps not. Her hand hesitated on the flask, wondering if he had seen this coming. Maybe he had, maybe he had not, she was not going to let that stop her from saving him. Even if he did want to die.

She drained the potion into his throat, watching a little of it shoot out his open neck. Did the snake really bite that deep? How had she know Voldemort would use the snake? She shook her head, ignoring the wierd feelings going on in her head, as though she was having a wicked bout of deja vu'.

She threw the empty flask of anti-venom to the other side of the room, opening the next object. It was Dittany. She rubbed this over the wound, watching it seal up from the inside out. She set the half full flask next to her other side.

The wound closed, she drained a whole bottle of Blood Replenishing Potion into his mouth, coaxing it down by rubbing his stoic throat. He was cold. She shook off the fear she felt and held him closer to her. He could take her warmth as long as this worked. She tossed the bottle of the last potion into the corner she'd thrown the other in. Her wand met her fingers before she thought of it.

"Ennervate." She felt herself shake when he didn't move.

"Come on." she whispered into his ear, moving herself so that he was flat against the ground. She tilted his head back, barely stopping to realize what she was doing as she blew precious air into his unmoving lungs. His chest rose, but fell just as quickly. She nodded to herself, will keeping her vision clear enough to see.

She beat his heart for him, more or less punching his chest. She paused every so often to breathe air in him, then she was back at work. Over and over, she worked her muggle magic. Over and over she forced herself to hope. But he never responded.

Losing her own strength rapidly she held him, closing her eyes and thinking of one place she wanted to be. It was a remote area in a forest somewhere, where she and the other two had camped. She was there two seconds later. She laid him next to a tree and warded the area. She covered him with a green and brown cover she had conjuered to match the place in which he was, then she marked the tree with a white band that covered it's trunk where he was.

She sighed, unable to take her eyes off him for fear he would be gone when she turned around. She shook off that fear Apparating to a nearby hospital.

In the hospital she found a defibrillator and holding onto a hospital bed with the machines she'd need to monitor his vitals with noise on it, she Apparated back to the forest. She knelt down to him, glad this defib worked without being plugged up. She turned it on, letting it reach maximun power.

Once it reached the level she wanted, she ripped open the man's shirt, exposing his chest. She placed the cold paddles on his chest feeling the power flowing into him. His chest rose and fell. She growled and upped the jolt, hitting him again. His chest rose and fell again, his lips spreading as he took in breath on his own but they were shallow. It was better than nothing.

"I wasn't going to let it end like that..." she mumbled. Laying him on the bed and placing the instruments at his feet. She thought of a place she knew would be empty.

* * *

A/N: I have the feeling that this will be more than ten chapters. There goes my idea....Ah well, good news for you guys and gals!(and, I'll admit it, good news for me too!)


	3. Security Blanket

Her parent's house was cold and dank, having been unoccupied for several months. She had landed on the couch, the hospital bed crushing the glass coffee table. She avoided the shards, her feet still bare. Quickly righting the teetering bed, she directed it towards the stairs. She would put him in her room. It was big enough and yet only had one window, one that pointed out to the backyard.

He groaned when she hit the first step and his body slid towards her. She huffed, balancing the bed in one hand and getting her wand with the other. She conjuered braces to hold him to the bed, his body not resisting them at all. She wondered if he was in a coma.

It took her ten minutes to get the bed to the landing at the top of the stairs. She was out of breath and sweaty by that time. But she hadn't gotten to her room. She still didn't understand why she was so driven to help him, why against her better judgement, she was shoving herself past the hospital bed and clearing a space in her room instead of standing beside Harry and Ron. Her heart was torn between the two paths, but her body had already chosen one.

She moved things out of the way, rearranging the room so that she could place the bed next to the wall. All objects that wouldn't be used were minimized and placed in a drawer. She had almost emptied the already empty room. It looked like someone had just moved in.

There was a bookcase on either side of the window, full to the brim with muggle and wizarding books alike. Her need to have two of everything, at least in furniture, had two bedside tables, each surrounding an open hole for the hospital bed.

She made sure if, or to her hoping mind, when he woke, he'd have access to her private bathroom. She sighed, happy with the room. She rushed back out to the hall, pulling his bed into the small doorway and then manuvering it into the open spot.

Once the bed tapped the wall, she hit the ground. She was just so tired. So drained. But something told her to check all the windows and doors. To make sure the place was secure. She cast spells, enveloping the house in protection. Then she cast a spell to see if all the windows were closed. They were. She did the same with the doors, and was glad to see they were too. On her way to the room, her legs gave out.

She hit the ground again, her ribs aching from all the unusual action. The moment she closed her eyes to sigh, she fell asleep.

* * *

It seemed like forever since she'd slept when she finally woke. Her body ached in odd places, her neck cracked when she raised it against the sun. She had to drag her arms up to scrub the sleep from her eyes. She closed her eyes again, gathering whatever strength she had to get up. It was a feat in and of itself just to accomplish that.

The monitors in her room were beeping. She focused on that to get her off the floor. She stumbled to the room, looking at the monitors. His heart rate was off the charts. When had she hooked up the wires? She scratched her head and checked him. His breathing was close to hyperventilation.

"Calm down. You're safe." She mumbled out of annoyance. The second she spoke, his breathing slowed. She checked the monitors then looked back at him.

"Can you hear me?"

His nostrils flared, but he didn't move anything else.

"Can you open your eyes?"

His lids fluttered but they didn't open. He huffed.

"No. It's fine, I'm just checking....Can you feel your legs, can you feel this?"

She pinched his thigh, his nostrils flaring and his eyes fluttering again in reaction.

"Okay, that's good. Are you hungry?"

He stayed still.

"Professor? Sir?"

It seemed he was asleep. She bit her lip then patted his leg. "I'll get us some food. Just hold on."

* * *

She rushed out the house after grabbing a pair of her old shoes. They were tattered and a little small, but they covered her feet. She crossed her backyard, crossing her arms over her chest against the cold. She peeked into her neighbor's house, it seemed they were gone. She boosted herself off the fence and slid through the window. She was in their kitchen, on their pristine silver sink. She looked around again, before stepping off and opening the fridge. She configured the breadbox into a chest and started shoving the contents of the fridge inside it. Once it was gone, she shrunk the chest and held it in her hand, checking the area before again jumping out the window.

The smell of bacon and sausage cooking made her stomach growl hungrily. She patted it, telling it it would have to wait a little longer. She cooked pancakes as well, unsure of what the Professor ate. She placed everything else in her fridge, putting a stasis spell on perishable items.

Once breakfast was done, she split it into two plates. Carrying it up the stairs was a hassle again. if she never saw another set of stairs it would be too soon.

The monitors were going off again, and that scared her. She forgot the pace she had adopted for her sore muscles, flying into the room and setting the food down.

"Calm down!"

He did, his breathing evening out again. She sighed, grasping his hand. He grabbed it back, strongly. She bit her lip again.

"Can you speak?" He attempted to open his mouth, the twitch in his jaw showing her the internal struggle.

"You can stop. Here, I'll help you." She raised the bed so that he was sitting up. His head drooped down to his chest. She lifted it and scooped a little bit of food onto his fork. She softly opened his mouth, placing the food inside. She massaged his throat til he swallowed. She smiled.

"Is it okay if I give you more?"

He fluttered his eyelids, his lips parting slightly as he forced himself to move. She helped him eat his food til he could eat no more.

"I'm going to the kitchen to put up your plate, is that okay?" She didn't want him freaking out everytime she left. She didn't know why exactly he did it in the first place.

Her food was gone as well, she had been eating hers then giving him his, going back and forth. She ate what he had left on his plate her stomach growling happily when everything was gone.

She could hear the monitors beep from here. She placed the last dish in the drainer and wiping her hands dry with a dish towel, ascended the steps again. He was moving his toes and fingers, his mouth gaping open then shut.

"Calm down, sir!" She ordered for what seemed like the hundredth time."You're working too hard..one thing at a time."

She sat on the edge of the bed and his fingers caught hers. He gripped them tight, and she winced.

"Stop that! I'm not leaving so quit acting like a child."

His hand hesitated on hers, then he released it.

"Why are you so worked up? Everytime I leave it's like you're suffocating."

His eyelids fluttered again, but they remained shut. She smiled.

"Are you tired?"

His fingers and toes moved, and she nodded to herself.

"You need to sleep. I'll bring a bed in here. I'll be right back, okay?"

He didn't move. She opened the drawer on the left side of the bed, having to reach over him to get it. She grabbed her miniature bed and shut the drawer, placing the bed next to his. She brought it back to size, it was a little shorter than his bed, but comfy all the same. She peeled off her old shoes and with an exasperated sigh, slid into the bed. She felt a hand touch hers and she held it, knowing he had some thing with her being there.

"Sleep well, Professor."

* * *

A/N: I was thinking about it and I really do think it's going to be more than ten chapters. I can't seem to stop writing about this one. I think my anger about Severus wrongful death, and the obsession I have with the HG/SS ship is flowing through my fingers at an alarming rate. I wouldn't be surprised if flames shot out of my fingertips. Now I know some people just flat out don't like the scene where he dies, or just hate the epilogue altogether, but my reasoning is that his death doesn't make sense.

A/N: Voldemort isn't one for theatrics when it comes to things like power and immortality. The whole scene where Severus is killed by Nagini seems off to me. Why didn't Voldemort just use a Killing Curse like he did with everyone else? It wasn't as if he had some connection with him. Voldemort cared about no one, as we all know, and that was his downfall. But why would he give Severus such a unique death? Why would he make Nagini, of whom he feared was in danger because of the disappearances of his other Horcruxes, attack Severus who, if willing, could have fought her off? And if he was unable to fight her off, I doubt a wise man like Severus would just lay down.

A/N: Then there's the fact that Severus is a survivor. Being a spy means he would have an ingrained need to survive, regardless of the situation. And even with the fact that Voldemort was there, he was going to kill him. And Severus knew this, he isn't a fool. He figured out just like I made Hermione in the first chapter where his Lord was going with that conversation. You could tell from his reactions, his facial movements and his eyes that he knew. And how would they know Harry would be there?

A/N: If Voldemort had known he would have called Harry out. I don't think Severus or Voldemort knew Harry was there. So why would Severus just lay down? Why would he just let Voldemort kill him without knowledge that he'd be able to give Harry the memories that he needed to let Voldemort kill him.(Then another subject that I personally don't want to touch on...the fact that Voldemort killed himself. I mean COME ON!!!!!)

A/N: It was extraordinarily important that Harry got the information that he needed to do what he did. To sacrifice himself like he did. But there was no way Severus knew Harry was listening in the hole, no way he knew that Harry would come to him, that he would have Hermione who would conjuer a flask. It just doesn't make sense. (Takes a deep breath and sighs...) All right now that I've got that out, thanks for reading and please review!!! XOXOXXOXOXO


	4. Nightmares

A/N: **whitehound **I understand what you mean. Hermione is generally a kind character, who though put through a lot, can greet those events with inhuman patience. I seem to have that complex too. I think that the only reason I had her Crucio him is a way of, as the story itself is, a way to get back at all the people I personally dislike in the Harry Potter books. JKR never mentioned the death of Fenrir, though she more or less massacred the rest of the Death Eaters that parcipitated in the attack on Hogwarts. Fenrir was never one of my favorite characters, he was up there with Umbridge, that, pardon my French, was a sadistic bitch. I know that action in the first chapter wasn't a Hermione-ish act and I thank you for pointing it out to me. The reason I had her rummage through the stores instead of accio what she wanted was because, like in the first book with the Devil's Snare, she was too preoccupied to remember her magical powers. I thank you for your observation and I ask that you keep giving me feedback, it's nice to get a taste of reality every once in a while. Enjoy!!

* * *

Waking up this morning was easier than it was when exhaustion had taken her. It was harder to get up though. Her muscles still felt like mince meat, but her neck wasn't stuck in an odd position, it still cracked when she turned to look at her Professor.

The first thing she saw was that his eyes were open. She had removed the braces sometime yesterday when he had moved and now his whole forearm moved. Her eyes widened and she spun herself out of bed.

"Professor."

She went to the other side of the bed, the right side obstructed by her bed. His right hand searched for hers and when she grabbed it he visibly sighed.

"Good morning, sir. Did you sleep alright?"

His eyes finally moved off the scene outside the window and looked at her. His head slowly shook.

"Was it the bed? I was sure I made it soft...do you like it firmer? I could fix that."

He slowly shook his head again, and she thought of something. She opened her drawer and pulled out a pen and paper. She brought them back to their proper size and place them next to his hand.

"Now, why didn't you sleep well?"

He scratched his reply on the paper, his eyes closing at one point as she supposed her concentrated. After a couple seconds, his hand stopped. She picked up the notepad, reading the words.

_Nightmares, Miss Granger, I had nightmares._

"Nightmares? About what?" She felt she might have been a little too curious, wanting to know something like what he dreamt about. But he seemed compelled to write, as though he had to tell her so he could be at peace. He wrote frantically, the pen barely leaving the paper long enough for her to discern sentences. She constantly glanced at his face, wondering what he'd dreamed about even more now. He wrote for a solid thirty minutes, long enough for her to make them sandwiches. She ate hers while she waited, her mind trying to guess what he wrote.

His hand stopped slower than it had last time, as though he was hesitating about letting her see the finished works. She let him decide, picking up his plate to help him eat. Once she brought the sandwich into view, his hand dropped the pen to the paper.

He ate quickly, guzzling the cup of water. He looked at the room she knew to be a bathroom, then he looked at her. She nodded, taking out her wand. After taking off the wires, she levitated him off the bed, thinking as she did what type of clothes she would need to find him. They both needed clothes.

When she opened the door to the bathroom, his arms lifted to block him from the edge of the wall. She looked at him surprised. He'd be walking tomorrow, he must have used half his time working his muscles.

She had him standing and leaning against her when she realized something. Not only had she never been this close to her Professor, she'd never entertained the thought of taking his pants off. She took a deep breath, trying not to be embarrassed. She focused on the fact that he'd be more embarrassed than her. Once she had his pants at his knees she lowered him to the seat. His arms left her shoulders and he sat up on his own. She connected eyes with him once before she rushed out of the bathroom, her cheeks ruby red.

She sighed when she was out of there, glad she hadn't had to do more. She felt sorry for him. The things he'd gone through and now he had to rely on her. She shook her head, smelling something disgusting. She sniffed alot of things before realizing it was her.

She sighed, smiling slightly when she realized what it was. Her eyes roamed the room and then she saw something peeking out from under the covers they'd disrupted. It was the notepad. She walked over, her mind yet again curious. She sat on his bed, looking at the familiar scrawl.

* * *

_It was dark, it's always dark. It could have been day but the sun was not out. It could have been night but the stars refused to shine. I was running, always running, always in the dark. Something was chasing me, taunting me and there was nothing I could do. His eyes glowed red and his teeth shone white, dripping with blood...my blood. At this moment I realize I am bleeding. I am in pain...but the Cruciatus was worse. I could fend off this pain, but my body was weak from the lack of blood. I collapse on the ground, covered in sweat, the creature bearing down on me now, teeth shining brighter than anything else in the dark. We sit in the shadowest of the dark, beings around me that I can't see. With hisses and growls the beings form a circle, closing in on me. When I think that the end is near, a light comes, a light so bright it blinds me. I feel my legs again and I move, I follow the light, I follow the warmth that embraced me. Then....._

* * *

Here it pauses, the ink pressed onto the paper differently as though he stopped for a second, then he started again, the ink like the rest again.

* * *

_...I saw a someone, I saw a hand in the light, reaching for me, asking acceptance. I reach for the light, and then the growls turn up again, the light faltering. I don't want to go back, I think seeing the light and wanting it. But the light turns into a face and the woman smiles and she tells me I will be fine. She assures me that I will know my way, then she disappears.....I look behind me, and the dark is closer than ever. Then I see a glow of light again, but the creatures surround me, and I wake up._

_The first time I dreamt this you had left the room. When I woke I thought I was awake in a dream. I was alone again. Alone....all alone. It frightened me as barely anything does. Then I heard your voice and I wasn''t alone....I wasn't in the hell with the demons. I was safe._

* * *

The ink off the last 'e' dragged as he let the pen fall. She heard a soft scraping and she looked up. On the floor next to her was Snape, dragging himself out of the bathroom. She jumped up, grabbing him and lifting him onto the bed.

"You could have called."

After catching his breath he mumbled so quiet in a raspy voice that didn't sound like him at all. "I did."

A/N: Thank you for reading, please review!!! XOXOXXOXO This chapter was a little shorter I know, but don't worry, there will be more. ;)


	5. Being Found

Shocked, Hemione covered her Professor up. He laid back and sighed, a small smirkish smile invading his face. Hermione watched him for a second, unsure of what to do. He still hadn't opened his eyes, but his face hadn't gone slack like when he was sleeping. She shifted her footing and looked at him again.

"If you need anything I'll be in the living room." she turned to leave, feeling slightly useless. What did wizards entertain themselves with aside from books, magic, and the radio? Well, there was Quidditch, but you'd be hard-pressed to get her on a broom willingly, even out of boredom. There was cleaning and cooking, which Molly seemed enamored with. But she didn't really see a reason to clean the room, maybe clear off the dust and such. Harry would talk with Ginny, or they would sneak off somewhere. Ron would read sport magazines when he wasn't talking or eating, but she really didn't feel like that right now. Besides, what sports did she like?

George used to make mischief with Fred, when--her mind stopped that thought. She couldn't think about Fred. She couldn't think about....but then there was Remus, last she'd heard he'd been taken down.

Before she could turn away, a tear rushed free of her eye, rolling down her cheek and making an audible _plunk_ on Professor Snape's cotton cover. She sniffed by reflex and the sound it made was louder than the plunk.

"Are you alright, Miss Granger?" she looked up then hurriedly looked down. He saw though."Are you crying? Why are you crying?"

She shook her head and attempted to wipe her eyes, she just ended up looking like a little kid, her hands swiping her tears with the butt of her palm. She sat down on her bed, facing away from him. She could cry, but he didn't have to see. She already knew she was just a Gryffindor to him, just a headstrong girl he'd taught back when. She thought about it and she scoffed inwardly. Back when? It had only been a few months since the last time she'd been under his tutelage. It'd only been a few days since she last saw Harry and Ron. The last time she had seen them alive. Would they still be that way? Fresh tears mingled with the old ones when that thought sunk in. What if the last time she saw Harry and Ron was when she was telling them to go? She hadn't said good-bye to either of them, she hadn't even said be safe. She shook her head and leaned back into the force that was cradling her, something akin to covers. She must of laid back, she must have collapsed in pain. Her face was mushed up against her pillow, tears soaking into it.

A soft sound met her ears, a soft shushing sound, as though someone was holding her. But who could be doing that? Only her and the Professor were in the room. She opened her eyes, and they were looking out the window in her room, her head pressed against a dirty fabric, the tears soaking not into her pillow but into someone's chest. An arm blocked her view and she was confused, the weight of her pain over her friends then the confusion over who was holding her pressing on her brain.

She pulled back, her hands letting go of the person's back. She'd been gripping the cloth so tight her hands hurt. When she pulled back, her hands resting on their sides for support, she saw Snape. She felt weird for a second, completely devoid of any emotion. Then she felt something even weirder, she felt comfort. She didn't even think as she resumed her position, hugging him instead of clinging to his clothes. She nuzzled her face in his dirty shirt, not caring what it smelt like.

They stayed like that for awhile, her tears finally running dry. She took a shower afterwards, feeling incredibly warm now. He took one after her and while he was showering she Apparated to a nearby clothing store and gathered a basket full of clothes, taking money out of her old piggy bank which was full of pounds, and placed it in the register. It didn't cover the whole cost, but at least it was something. She dressed in a hurry, picking out a clean t-shirt and jeans for the Professor. She left it on his bed, and went to the kitchen with one thing on her mind.

She made him dinner, lasagna made like her mother did. She helped him limp down the stairs, his left leg wasn't cooperating in the whole movement arena. He looked odd in the clothing he was wearing but she couldn't be seen in Wizarding England, she had to stay in Muggle England. She'd seperated the two like countries. She'd asked herself why, but she couldn't answer the question.

She let him limp alone to the couch were he relaxed grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels. He laughed lightly at odd intervals. She quickly set down the food, looking at him curiously when she saw he was watching Spongebob.

"Spongebob, Professor?"

"Severus." he murmured, taking a bite.

"What?" she asked, not catching his drift.

He finished chewing and took a sip of his drink before repeating, "Severus. You saved my life, though I haven't the faintest idea why, you might as well call me by my name. I am not your Professor."

Hermione smiled, sitting down and watching the TV. "I guess that means you can call me, Hermione."

He glanced at her, eating his food and grinning at the curious Sponge and his friends the starfish Patrick and the squirrel Sandy. He laughed, gaining another glance from Grang--Hermione. He just saw something. The Sponge with his constant ability to guide Patrick regardless of the situation reminded him of Potter, the Starfish with his loyal dog attitude resembled Weasley, and that bushy haired Sandy....He glanced again to his left and nodded. Yes, Sandy was obviously Hermione.

Hermione was thinking about it and Squidward did remind her of Snap--Severus. He wasn't an all around bad character, just one with social issues. She peeked sidelong at Severus and saw him looking back at the TV. She was unsettled. It wasn't because he looked at her, no, she just remembered what had occured not an hour ago. She had felt so warm and comfortable in his embrace. She hadn't wanted to leave it, but her stomach growled, setting off his growling stomach.

But before they were rudely interrupted by nature, she couldn't think of anything else, just the odd feeling that she couldn't place while she was in his arms. She looked at him again, unable to look away once his eyes met hers. They were staring at each other, and it felt like forever before she was startled out of the abyss that was his eyes by the sound of the door bell.

The TV was off before she'd finished looking away from him. She got up and went to the door, her hand searching for her wand. Why hadn't she noticed someone breaking the wards? Had she put them back up when she came back from that clothing store? It was night time, the sky a blue-ish grey.

Her hand was still searching for her wand when she felt someone behind her, Severus nodded to her as she reached for the doorknob, her wand in his hand. When had he swiped it? She opened the door and saw Harry, he was standing on the porch, his clothes changed but his face the same as the last time she'd seen him.

"Hermione! Thank Merlin!!" He pulled her into a hug, one she hesitated to return, he felt it too.

"Hermione, are you alright? We've been looking all over for you. Voldemort's dead, it's over. Why are you here?" He said this all very quickly, breathing very little between sentences. He stepped forward and she stopped him.

"Hermione? What's wrong?"

"You want me to go back, don't you?" her voice sounded weird to her, like someone else was speaking. Harry quirked an eyebrow, grinning even though he looked confused.

"What are you talking about, Hermione? Everyone's worried sick about you. Can I come in?"

She looked at Severus quickly, he had moved sometime during their conversation and now he was up the stairs. He nodded to her, disappearing into the house.

"Yeah, sure. Come on." she moved out of his way, closing the door and sighing.

"You never answered my question. Why are you here?" he asked, turning to her after frowning at the plates sitting on the living room's new table. She'd made this makeshift table out of old boxes and cardboard. Their were two plates and two drinks.

"Who else is here?" he asked, again not waiting for her to answer his last question. She looked at what he was looking at then shook her head.

"No one." her voice was small, though it sounded more like what she remembered it as. Harry scoffed.

"I'm not stupid, Hermione. Two drinks, two plates. You aren't alone."

Hermione slowly tried to block the stairway, but Harry beat her to it. He started on the wrong side, her room was on the right. But he soon made up for it, going from room to room until he opened her door. He gasped, stepping back and stumbling over his robes. He looked at her, fear and confusion all over his face.

"He's dead. I saw him die." his voice was distant, an echo of what it used to be downstairs.

"He's not dead, Harry. This is why I'm here. I sort of....." she looked to Severus, who was laying on his bed, reclining.

"Brought me back from the dead." he finished for her, winking softly before looking back at the ceiling. "And personally, I do like this quiet existance, so if you could do me a last request, seeing as I'm supposed to be dead, I'd like you to leave." He sat up, looking Harry directly in the eyes."And don't you dare go touting some 'He's a hero' filth, I don't want it. You go tell everyone that I'm dead, that she's fine and that you found her well. If they ask why she didn't come back tell them---"

"Tell them I've gone to get my parents. That should take a while...I didn't write down an address or anything. I've got the whole of Aulstralia to search."

Harry who hadn't spoken a word, frowned and shook his head. Hermione didn't allow him to speak.

"Please, Harry. I need you to do this for me...Please?" she pleaded.

Harry sat for a moment, no expression at all. Then he looked at her.

"Why do you have to stay here? He looks just fine to me."

"He needs me, Harry. You know he won't admit it, but he does." She peered at him, then looked back at Harry. Again her friend just stared.

"What do I tell Ron? You know he'll still worry about you."

Hermione bit her lip before answering."I know...I know...just tell him I said I miss him and that I'll see him as soon as I get back."

Harry again was quiet. He stared at Severus for a whole five minutes before nodding.

"I'm going to check on you, Hermione. You shouldn't be here alone."

Just as Severus cleared his throat, Hermione said."I'm not alone, Harry."

She walked him to the door, his head obviously trying to digest the information he'd just recieved. He walked out to the front porch, looking as though he wasn't going to turn back. Hermione shouted out his name, rushing forward and hugging him.

"I've missed you too. I'm so glad you're alive. Tell me everything that happened when you come back, okay? Tell everyone, I'm fine."

She pulled back and looked at him. He looked shocked, but he smiled. She smiled back.

"I love you, Harry."

"I love you, too, Hermione. Just--just be careful, alright?" he said, holding her eyes with a worried expression.

"You know me, Harry. You be careful, too." He nodded to her, turning and Apparating away. She put the wards back up, walking back inside.

He was alive and she didn't have to worry anymore....Hermione walked up the stairs with their dinner, bringing the TV in her room per Severus' request. They finished eating in silence, Hermione too happy to notice the looks Severus was giving her.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it took so long. Tornados, 18th birthdays and a new cell phone have captivated my attention. But I found the time and have finally written a chapter. Melody of Words should get an update next, whenever I decide what song I want to have with it. Hope you enjoyed, and please REVIEW!!! With love, XOXOXXOXOXOXXO


	6. A Little Too Much

When Hermione woke up she was in Severus' arms, his warm breath brushing her face lightly. He held her possessively and something in that frightened her. She slowly pulled back, seeing that their once seperate beds had become just one. His hospital bed and all the equipment that came with it was gone. Her parents bed had been brought in and the covers changed. It was a darker material, not the tan brown that had been on her parent's bed. It was a navy color, and she remembered that this was her cover, just stretched.

Remembering last night was a blur for a little, something saying that Harry had come over even though it felt like a dream, then like a lightning strike of memory she saw it all.

Harry was here, he'd found them. She calmed down after she figured this out. Then she started thinking. When had their beds been joined? When had they made that decision? She remembered last night now, sleep entirely gone.

* * *

_They'd watched TV for a while, Severus was utterly captivated by the things he saw there. He had found the History channel to be particularly interesting. It was the 'Muggle version' as he had called it. He would start scoffing and Hermione would ask him what was wrong, his eyes would shift toward her as though he'd forgotten she was there. He wouldn't acknowledge her, he just seemed to quiet himself, not trying to draw her attention. When she took the plates from their dinner downstairs, she noticed that he looked at her fully, his body half rising as though to follow her. She stopped and looked back at him. He had put himself back in his position, his head shaking slightly. Hermione wondered what that was about. _

_She stayed downstairs, cleaning the house, recreating the table like it was before she'd broken it on entrance. She had clothes that needed to be resized, and she fixed them all quickly, folding them and placing them in a basket she'd brought out of the laundry room. She was downstairs for about an hour. _

_When she got back upstairs, she realized that Severus had changed the bed so that it was only one. Her cover was stretched out so that it could cover them both. She saw he was already sleeping. She wanted to ask him why he changed the beds, but she remembered how he was when he woke up, constantly fearing he was alone. She changed her mind about waking him and instead curled up in the bed, trying to find comfort. She closed her eyes, letting sleep take her away._

* * *

She blinked and looked at Severus again. So he'd decided to mush the little space they had to dust, but why? It hardly seemed like a Severus Snape thing to do, even if she didn't know him personally. He couldn't have changed his view of her that fast could he? She shook herself mentally from the hope that sprang up suddenly. Why did she care if he wanted to be close to her? Why did she care that he staved of his demons by knowing she was there? Why _should _care? It was Potions Master Severus Snape, former Head of Slytherin House, former double spy, ex-Death Eater....the list was endless. And who was she, supposing he thought of her in any sort of light?

It was Severus Snape for Merlin's sake!! He ate sarcasm for breakfast, scowls for lunch, and an unhuman amount of snarkiness for dinner. The most affection he'd shown anyone was Lily Potter, and fat load of good that did. She chewed up his exposed heart and had the audacity to spit it up and throw in back in his chest. She couldn't find it in herself to forgive Lily for that. She tried to think of what he'd be like had he known true love not hindered by his appearance or associations.

It was a near impossible feat of her imagination to think of him as anything but the dark man who occupied shadowed corners and put up shields to block any and everyone from coming too close. Her mind however constant thinking could not place such a man anywhere else but where he made himself to be. She didn't like where he put himself, but since he'd dug such a novel hole, she might as well get used to the darkness he seemed to thrive upon.

He shifted, bringing her closer to him. She sighed, unable to make herself move away and disturb him. She decided to watch him instead. Catalogue his features in her photographic memory. She started with his hair, that so concieved greasy mess was actually very soft, shiny even. She absentmindedly brushed it away from his face and pressed it to his head as she took in the rest. His forehead was smooth and neither too big nor too small. His black eyebrows offset his incrediblly white skin, she had an errant thought of taking him outside once in a while, kind of like her own personal way of rehabilitating him.

His eyebrows led easily to his eyes, which though closed were the darkest shade of brown she'd ever seen. It was by accident that there was any color at all. His color scheme was like some kind of opposite Charlie Chaplin where the dark undertones were flopped and placed in plain view, where the lonliness hidden in the humor was shielded instead by biting remarks.

He cloaked himself well, and she knew above all other features, his eyes yielded the most information, yet the most guards. He seemed to radiate everything he felt be it good or bad through the dark bottomless eyes that occupied his constant scowling face. Now that he relaxed she saw he really didn't have the thin lips she'd once supposed. He scowled so much it was hard to tell. His bottom lip was fuller than the top, though neither was something you could brag about. They fit his face though, no matter the size. She ignored his nose, being she'd never truly had a problem with it in the beginning. She considered it his staple, the thing that people saw first. Maybe that sounded harsh, but then again, everyone noticed her bushy hair before they saw the girl beneath it. It was something she'd come to terms with long ago.

She felt her right arm falling asleep so she moved it, making Severus grip her tighter. She huffed and asked whatever deity had guided her before to grant her some patience, or maybe to wake him up.

It must have heard because the next moment Severus's eyes flashed open and then got big. He released her like a hot iron, turning and pulling away. It wasn't until he stood and swiftly disappeared into the bathroom that she noticed he was shirtless. She blushed, turning and getting out of bed herself. She shivered when her feet touched the floor. Usually when the heat was on in the house even the floor got warm, but she suddenly realized being in someone else's arms warmed you on two fronts and the heater just wasn't cutting it.

* * *

She was downstairs again, cooking breakfast, again. She sighed when she flipped the bacon, a bit of grease hitting her hand. She gasped out of reflex, then turned to the water. She ran cold water over it, feeling ten times better now that she knew the wound had stopped burning. A soft sound had met her ears but she didn't turn. It was probably Severus coming down to see what she was cooking, as though his canine like senses couldn't detect the distinct smell of cooking meat.

"It'll be ready in a bit." She heard a grunting sound and glanced at him. They'd moved the TV from her parents room down here yesterday and he was sitting in front of it watching something or other on the underground tunnels in Egypt.

She thought of one underground tunnel and then her mind shut off that train. It was like thinking that she hadn't got to say goodbye to Harry and Ron. That she would never see them alive again. Her mind automatically thought of the image imprinted on her eyelids at the end of the Whomping Willow tunnel. She wiped it away by staring at the obviously alive Severus, currently ignoring her on the couch watch stupid tunnel shows....

"Stupid..." she mumbled. She was now jealous of a TV show for taking his attention. That was bonified sad. She had to get a grip....he didn't care about her. She was just a presence in the house that stopped him from being alone. Was he just a presence that stopped her from being alone? Cause he seemed like much more than that. He seemed to be captivating her waking and dreaming mind...he seemed to be invading her space and claiming things as his.

She shook her head, ignoring the slight, and again errant thought that said he had stolen her beating thingy. She wasn't even going to think it's name. He hadn't taken that from her had he? He hadn't possessed that, right? Surely if she had lost her thumping organ than she wouldn't be standing here...she'd be thinking of him(as you are, her mind quipped.), she'd be wanting to please him(as you are yet again, cooking breakfast without so much as a thank you in return.), she would be yearning for him, even if he was in the next room right?

She glanced over to him, taking the food off the fire and spliting it into two plates as had become her ritual. He was still watching the tunnel show, it seems he had caught it at the beginning.

She wanted to say something to him, but she couldn't find the words. He had treated her differently after the whole Harry thing. She sighed as she quietly handed him his food, mumbling an excuse to leave the room.

"I want to eat in the room....so...yeah." She turned, feeling awkward as she left the room. She sat in, well, _their_ room, picking at her food but deciding now that she was alone, she wasn't hungry.

She turned on the TV, wondering what was so interesting about what he was watching. When she found the channel she couldn't help being drawn in.

"These tunnels have been here for over a thousand years, and we're the first foreign crew allowed access..." The man on the TV said excitedly, his need to voice his energy making Hermione smile.

"You could have easily sat down and watched it with me...." his voice was slowly getting it's baritone quality about it. She turned to him and gave him a weak smile.

"I thought you wanted some privacy. You've been acting distant so I just got out of the way."

He scoffed, shoving himself of the door paneling on which he had been leaning and walking over to her.

"You haven't aged a bit, Hermione. You're still as assuming as ever, I'm surprised you didn't raise your hand."

He sat on the edge of the bed, taking her barely touched plate and putting it on the table beside her. In doing this he softly brushed her face with his hair, his arm touching her stomach.

He didn't acknowledge this, he just looked at her.

"I feel compelled to explain why I have been distant. I know it seems a bit out of character for me to bare my feelings, but I am truly compelled to do so. I feel as though I have been drugged by some whimsical fairy that spreads cheer and unnatural like behaviour. Now do not get me wrong, by tomorrow most likely I will ignore you again, putting up walls and assuming my former being, but for today I am open and in this I must plead for your utmost understanding and maturity. I need to know you can speak of the things I must speak of and not laugh like the teenage girl I still somewhat see you as."

Hermione looked at him funny not sure if this was still the man she had saved. She nodded nonetheless, compelled as he had said, to listen.

"When I told you of my dream, I only told you parts of it, for then I was still attempting to remember where I was, why I was, and how I had come to be there."

He adjusted on the bed, turning off the TV as he did so. Hermione had her feet under the covers seeing as they were cold, he joined her in this and before she knew it she was laying on her side, staring into his eyes as he got what he needed off his chest. He had laid beside her, facing her, and speaking so quickly sometimes she wondered if he breathed.

"I dreamed what I told you, but the darkness was so heavy. It was like solid stone crushing my chest, at times I couldn't breath, all I saw was this figure coming down, ready to kill without mercy. It all started sometime after I..." he paused here, thinking."...after I died. I guess when you resurrected me the dreams began."

She had to ask."What happened...after you--?"

"I saw nothing...just shadows, dirt under my feet, it was cold, which was an odd sensation. Then I awoke in the dreams."

"Dreams?" Hermione asked again, unable to leave the change of words alone.

"Yes, again as inquistive as ever." He smirked, she could have sworn he was hiding a smile.

"What other dreams did you have? Were they worse?" she whispered, suddenly feeling like a kid telling ghost stories at a sleepover. She pulled her pillow closer to her, finding just the right spot for such an occasion. Severus took a moment to adjust as well, staring out the window when he finally relaxed. She almost giggled at his form. He was laying like a patient talking to a psychiatrist. His long fingers were placed over his stomach and he sighed.

"Most of them were better, though not to say they were not bad. They mix at night while I sleep, creating a massive collage of nightmarish figures, all taunting me. I have the distinct feeling they don't want me alive. Something about my life pains them in a way. Something about the breath I am able to take causes them to growl and bite, causes them to hate."

"Who are they?" she asked, unknowingly placing her hand on his arm. He looked at it for a moment until she removed it. He turned back to the window, staring again at something she wasn't willing to take her eyes off of him to see.

"The formers....the ones who did not survive the Battle, so in other words, most of the Death Eaters. I think the red eyed man with the snakish ways is the Dark Lord somehow morphed into Nagini. The beings that I can never identify are most likely the others, waiting their turn to egg me on to the hellish afterlife they have found."

"How do they egg you on? They are gone." She mumbled, unable to pull her voice out of this whispery tone.

"They know what I love, Hermione. They use her against me."

And just like that, Hermione was fighting back tears. She couldn't understand why she was completely destoyed by what he said. He'd only told her what she feared. Only told her that his love was always and would always be Lily Potter, the woman who dead could steal the hearts of men. She loathed the woman more than anything at this moment. More than any human on earth and looking away from Severus before he saw her anger or pain, she cursed the very memory of her.

She caught herself though, quickly hiding what she felt. Though she wasn't exactly sure what she felt. The rush of emotions confused her more than any topic they'd spoken of. Why did she feel this way about the man next to her, why was she desiring someone she'd never looked at like that before? Why did she care?

* * *

A/N: Okay I hoped you liked it. If any of you have watched 'Cities of the Underworld' on the History channel you'll automatically spot it in this story. It, like some of the songs I use in MoW, stuck in my head while I tried to think of something interesting for Severus to watch. The part with Hermione remembering the 'other' tunnel just fell into my lap like a gift. I have a feeling that this chapter was influenced by Midsummer Night's Dream. The coaxing by beings unseen and unknown. Ah, well....Shakespeare follows me even into Harry Potter Land. Damn him....and Bless him. He's partially my muse. Well, anyhoo and a blue suede shoe, Please REVIEW!!!XOXOXXO


	7. Catching Up with Bathing Down

A/N: All readers, I sincerely apologize. Insomnia, four people vying for time on one computer, and an obsession with finishing Phantom of Hogwarts by Good_Witch have slowed me to a halt. I have found the time and I attempted to write this longer than any of my previous chapters. I think I suceeded!*grins* Now all returning readers will see that I upped the rating, that is just for safety lest my muse gets the better of me and takes my prudence away. It may be a hint as to what's in the chapter, but I wouldn't get my hopes up, I'll tell you now it's not that much of anything. (my muse tells me to say, "Not yet.", as it giggles uncontrollably.) I will tell you also that if you read MoW, you may be waiting a little longer. I have one more chapter to pump out for this story before I hunker down to finish MoW. Yes, I know. MoW is nearing an end. I enjoyed it while it lasted, but I have only one more real challenge to face before what I strived for is done. I thank you for your support, and I pray you enjoy reading this chapter as I enjoyed the giggle fit I had writing it.

* * *

Still cursing Lily, Hermione (and Severus) decided they had had enough of the house. Harry had been busy elsewhere and had yet to come back. She was thinking about him constantly. It'd been three months since he last came, she was sure he'd forgotten about her. There was a fair going on just a few miles down the road, all the neighbors had come back the last two days with broad smiles and bright eyes, carrying balloon and stuffed animals, cheering with each other.

Severus was still weary of leaving the house, but every time he said the word, 'She', Hermione was even more compelled to leave the house. Something about that word hurt her, and she hadn't yet filled the crevice the word had dug into her. She needed a distraction, and the fair was the best bet. Severus threw what was his equivalent of a tantrum when she said she wasn't going to Hogsmeade to get his wand. He huffed angrily, walking straight-backed up the steps and dramatically slamming the door to what she had come to regret calling _their _bedroom.

She had laughed at this, something that suddenly made the volume to the TV rise by many decibals. She had cooked him dinner, chicken strips, which he grudgingly thanked her for. Leaning towards her slightly, he touched her robe then hurriedly let go avoiding her eyes. He had told her mere seconds later that he was going with or without her to Hogsmeade. Stating in a simple voice:

"I will be retrieving my wand, with or without you." and under his breath he muttered something that sounded like,"Unarmed in a group of muggles...I'll be caught dead."

She had grinned, though it had hurt her cheeks to do so and then she softly agreed, telling him in her calmest voice to be careful. A noncommital grunt had met her ears at that and she turned, about to accio a basket from the laundry room when she realized her wand was missing. Turning to him in anger, she opened her mouth to speak. But he cut her off with a glare and mumbled viciously.

"You can do just fine without it, besides, how else am I supposed to get by her unnoticed?"

A retorical question, and a painful one. She knew he was talking about McGonagall but her mind thought otherwise. She gasped lightly, turning away whilst wiping away those foolish tears. She had dreamed about this issue, she had thought endlessly about this issue and she couldn't help feeling he was more than an ex-professor to her. It hurt her in every way to know he'd rather love a dead woman than grace her with a look. She sighed as she left the room, manually getting the basket. She took several deep breaths in the living room before going upstairs to get the clothes strewn around the room.

As she went up the stairs, Severus made his way down. He avoided her eyes, something that sent a pang of despair through her chest. He didn't want to look at her. She felt as though she'd failed. She was so depressed....so down from the developments between them that when Severus had left and she had endured a whole day without him, the arrival of Harry, early the next day, had come as a relief. She excitedly greeted him, though inwardly she wished Severus would smile at her the way Harry was.

"Oi, Hermione!" He shot out, hugging her tightly. She returned it tenfold, longing to feel something other than an endless void. Harry looked around the house when he stepped in, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Is he here?"

"No," she muttered dejectedly, "He's gone on an errand, he'll be back."

Harry sighed, happy at least that he was here now.

"How are you?" He asked suddenly in a concerned voice, worry painting his expression. She smiled, knowing inside it must look so fake. She would never admit to Harry that she was worried less about herself and more about Severus, out there somewhere, alone. Out there, without her, and, she thought with a jolt, he may not come back. She hurriedly ushered Harry to the couch, asking a simple question she knew would occupy their time.

"So what happened after I left?"

She went to the kitchen to get them drinks as Harry spoke. He told her about the funerals, the celebrations afterwards, the award ceremonies that Harry sneered about. He sighed when he said he finally got some quiet time. George had reopened the shop after a brief haitus, saying he couldn't mope around forever. She felt bad at the way Harry intoned the feelings of everyone at her disappearance. She reminded him that he had told them she was fine, but he still remarked that they would talk of her as though she was still gone. She had inadverently saved Tonks, who was now a single mother. The woman and baby, Teddy, had moved to Scotland, and Tonks would only Apparate back for Order meetings. Harry sadly and silently agreed with Tonks' view that there were too many reminders in England.

He showed her the awards that he vehemently said he only brought to show her.

He first showed her a prurple and yellow one, one that Hermione smiled at waterly, it reminded her too much of Dumbledore.

"This is for outstanding acts in defence of the Wizarding world."

He pulled out another, setting it by the last. This one was red with a silver pendent in the shape of a lion.

"Bravery in the face of certain death. Usually given to accomplished Aurors."

She scoffed at the pride in Harry's voice as he explained that. All that griping about award ceremonies then he talks proudly about one of the awards.

"They attempted to make a momument of us."

Hermione looked at him surprised.

"Of _us_?" she asked her voice rising a couple decibals.

"Yeah, it was gonna be like the one in the Atrium of the Ministry. They showed me and everyone else included the test project. He pulled out a pensive and gestured for her to look in it. She arched an eyebrow at his readiness.

"I haven't seen you in three months, Hermione. I wanted to tell you so much stuff."

She nodded at his explaination. She had missed him too. She got postitioned and dropped inside.

There wasn't much to the memory. It was just the bronze looking statue. Harry was in the forefront, his wand pointed out at an invisible foe while his fairly wizard robes flared out behind him. She smiled as she realized the statue had bulked him up a bit, causing him to look more like what a hero is supposed to. She shook her head but moved on. To his left was Ron, arm extended like Harry's except his wasn't as high and his eyes weren't as determined. She glazed over herself at Harry's right, taking notice that they had polished over her features as well, toning down her hair and shaping her curves. Ginny was next to Ron, her eyes gleaming slightly in the light of the room. She recognized Neville's bronzeness behind her, his face matching Ron's in expression. Then there was Luna across from that, looking as relaxed and serene as ever. She wondered how they pegged her down so well. They were all facing away from each other, watching each other's stony backs in a way.

Reeling out of the memory, Hermione smiled. She thought it was a nice idea, but she really didn't think they deserved a statue. She turned to Harry.

"You said they _'attempted'_?

Harry nodded, grinning as he retold their fierce battle to ban statues like that being made.

"We didn't get them all but we at least stopped that one."

"There was more?" She questioned cheerily, at the same time she felt abashed. More statues? What were they to everyone? She didn't feel like a hero, why did everyone think they were? She sighed as Harry told her the startling number.

"Exactly 323 shop all asking for patents on their exclusive statues. Some were stolen from others, some truly made by hand. The Auror had to confiscate the large ones. There were also newly opened memoribillia shops, but we're closing them down quickly." Flicking his nose, he grinned. "They don't the rights to our likeness." At her curious glance, he explained. "I've been at the Ministry helping Kingsley, so I've heard a lot of stories."

Surprised by that second new bit of news she leaped on it, her mind having turned to why Severus didn't get a statue. She resupplied their dwindling drinks, and settled happily on the couch.

"What's going on that Kingsley needs your help?" her voice sounded genuinely interested, and she was glad the furtive glances Harry had been giving her disappeared.

"Well, a bunch of Death Eaters Voldemort didn't take to the Battle are running amuck, causing havoc in his absence. His permanent absence."

Hermione grinned as Harry absentmindedly rubbed his scar, his face turning into a frown.

"What's wrong, Harry?" she asked, concerned.

He shook his head. Lounging back in the couch, he shrugged. "It's wierd not feeling anything now...for years I could tell when Voldemort was mad or happy or anything in between. And I sort of got used to the pain, now there's nothing there...it's kind of..." He paused, looking at her. She thought of a word.

"Disconcerting?" she offered.

He smiled. "Yeah, though until now I haven't been able to dwell on it. I've been-" A blush creeped onto his face at the thought he sidelined. "-busy."

Eyes narrowing and posture shifting in a quest to get information, one quest that Harry saw. His eyes widened and he grinned sheepishly, looking anywhere but at her.

"Busy how?" her voice didn't betray her desire to know everything, though her face did that job well enough.

"I-" He gulped, then spit it out like it was hot coals."I asked Ginny to marry me and she said _yes_!"

Hermione grinned excessively, she couldn't contain her happiness. Something inside her told her to turn around, but she squashed it, hurriedly hugging Harry instead. He hugged her back laughing in joy. She noticed when his hug stiffened, his laughter stopped short. She pulled back confused. Harry was glaring at the doorway behind her, a gleam she hadn't seen since the Final Battle flickering in his green eyes. She turned to the door, surprise flooding her features as she realized that Severus was standing in the doorway, grimly gazing at them both. Without so much as a hello, he drifted off upstairs as the door swung shut behind him. Harry relaxed once he had left the room, but Hermione noticed his wand poised over her side.

Distracted, she congratulated him. "That's wonderful, Harry. Tell Ginny I said hi and that I'm happy for you two."

"Yeah, " He mumbled in thought, "I should probably do that now. I'll tell Ron you said hi too, he says he misses you."

Looking faraway, Harry made his way to the door. His wand was still in his hand and he hugged Hermione with one arm, still glancing at the staircase. Kissing his cheek, she let him leave. He nodded at her, then disappeared with increased urgency. She sighed, her mind dealing oddly with a rush of joy that Severus was back. She quickly rushed to the kitchen, grabbing the meatloaf out of the oven and letting it cool, angry again that she didn't have her wand. Silently she divided it, just as quietly running up the stairs. She had two cups held in each elbow, and she planned to fill them with water once she sat down the plates. It was still early in the day, regardless of the long conversation, sometime after three. She wanted badly to go to the fair, as the advertisment on the telly said there was only one day left. That was today.

When she brought the food to Severus, he glared at her before giving her the wand he'd taken, pulling out his to fill their cups. She wondered why he was so angry at her. Maybe he was telling the truth when he said he was going to put his blocks up again. The magic that had unfurled his tongue was obviously gone. She ignored it, watching the telly instead, her eyes glazing as she tried to figure out the best way to invite him to the fair. Now that she had her wand, she really didn't need him there with her, but the thought of loose Death Eaters solidified her desire to have him there.

The show went to commercial and she leapt at the oppurtunity.

"I'm going to the fair." It was a simple statement, one she supposed could be left open for a question. A question she hoped her would ask. Lowering his cup, he narrowed his eyes.

"When?" His voice was a tad guarded, though nowhere near as much as it had been.

She smiled inwardly at the profitable outcome of her announcement.

"Tonight at six. " She kept leaving the sentences short, wanting him to follow her proverbial bread crumbs.

"I see." He ate another bite slowly, washing it down even slower. It seemed he wanted her to say something. But she refrained, that was not how her game worked. After another commercial break, he softly said, "Do you plan on going alone?"

She nodded, smiling into her cup. She gave no more answer than that. He fidgeted by her side and she looked at her plate. It was empty. Sighing at the lack of a reason to sit here, she swiftly got up, offering her hand for his plate. He scooped the last bite up then handed her the plate, his fork clanking against the ceramic.

"I'll just go wash these now." She made her way down the stairs, into the kitchen, checking the clock as she went. She had an hour and a half before she had to go. She was going to walk there, at least until she was out of muggle territory. The way the houses were postioned was prime testing ground for the fastest way to get caught. She washed the dishes in silence, letting her mind wander. She thought of Harry and Ron, George at the shop alone, Ginny happily accepting Harry's proposal. She just wished she could be that happy....A soft sound of a throat clearing made her turn her head. Severus was standing there, his hands behind his back. He gazed around the room before settling on a spot near her.

"I..." He stopped, his sentence falling before he nodded, his wayward eyes looking finally at her. "I will go with you. There are Death Eaters still living I hear and I wouldn't want you to...to harm yourself." His voice sounded rushed, as though he was trying to say this as fast as possible. He looked away from her before nodding once more and, swallowing, turned to go back upstairs.

She smiled after him, finishing her chore. She put the rest of the food away, checking the washing machine and gathering a basket of dry clothes from the dryer before making her way upstairs to take a shower and prepare for her evening outing. He wasn't in the room when she stepped in. There was no sound other than the TV, which was blaring loudly about some silly something. Placing the basket on the bed, she walked towards the bathroom. Walking in without so much as a pause, peeling her shirt off as she went, Hermione undid her bra, letting it slid down her arms before turning to the bathroom itself. Realizing all too late the reason why Severus wasn't in the room, she gaped at the sight before her.

Stark naked and currently drying his hair with the only towel Hermione saw in here, Severus was blissly ignorant to her presence. His pale shoulders were broad and muscled, the activity of drying his dark locks made his muscles flex. His waist was thin, but the abdominals wrapped around and gave her the impression he was thicker than he seemed. Her eyes drank in the sight even as her legs clenched in preparation to run, the tantalizing trail of dark hair leading down his chest and beyond his flat somach in his reflection caused her to blush. His legs, weight resting on his right leg as he screwed up his face to thoroughly get the water in his hair, were long and sinewy. She swallowed but was unable to react. His wand was resting just next to him on the sink. Suddenly afraid he'd catch her, she attempted retreat but as Hermione gained half of her brain power back to tear her eyes away from his toned buttocks, she bumped into the door and dropped her clothing. An excruciating second passed, then he turned his whole body, saying nonchalantly,

"Wait your tur-" Eyes catching hers then her exposed chest, then swiftly capturing her eyes again, he blanched. Covering himself, ten seconds too late, Severus' mouth opened once or twice. Hermione was too in shock at the_ other _thing she got a small glimpse at to vaguely remember to cover herself. Only a slightly familiar throat clearing and the shifting of a towel as he wrapped it more securely around him caused her to squeak and hurriedly retrieve her clothes. She covered herself, muttering a shy, "Sorry." as she turned back to the door. His voice stopped her before she could fully look away.

"No," He mumbled, grabbing his wand and walking hestitantly to her,"It's through, I'm all yours." Cottoning on as she raised her eyebrows and her glowing brown eyes met his shyly, he quickly tried to salvage the jumbled sentence. "I mean, I'm through,_ it's _all yours." Clearing his throat again, his eyes glancing once more at her chest, he sidled by her and grasped the door handle.

Hermione mumbled,"I'll be on the bed and the clothes will be right out." Smacking her forehead, she attempted to rearrange her innuendo laden sentence as he opened the door. But as she opened her mouth, he nodded.

"I understand." Sending her a rare nervous smile, he swallowed and walked into the room. She paused before closing the door, watching the remaining drops of water glistening off his back in the sunlight. She blinked and shut the door.

"Oh, God...." She took a deep breath before going back to what she came in here to do, mixing everything up as she went. She washed her hair with conditioner then shampoo, lathering up and rinsing in haste, she had to jump back in as she missed a few suds. She stared at herself as she dried her hair. Everytime she closed her eyes she saw him naked again, and though the sight did make her mouth water, she opened her eyes. She might feel like she loved him, but for Merlin's sake!! He was only her teacher a year ago. She sighed as she wiped that excuse out of her mind. He might be her ex-Professor, but that didn't mean she had to act like some restrained teenager. She was a woman now, right? Opening the door enough to Accio a few garments, she shut the door and got dressed, her mind racing as she tried to diagram what they were now.

Severus was standing at the door when she finally came down, her hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail and her dark blue shirt clinging to her black jeans because of static drew his attention. He repeated his downward glancing, not catching her as she did the same. He was wearing a pair of blacks jeans as she was, though they were much looser. He covered that with a cotton t-shirt, and a vest with three buttons. Everything was in black of course. She remembered that the vest had been a dark green. He must not of liked that color much. She saw he had transfigured his shoes as well, making suitable boots out of a pair of cheap trainers. She grabbed a coat on the way out, though she didn't need it right now. Her white trainers caught his attention as had her shirt when she reached for the coat. Deftly muttering something, she felt the spell he cast change her shoes. They were black now. She rolled her eyes.

"May I?" He asked, offering his arm. She smiled at him, closing the door and joining him on the porch.

"Be my guest." She loped her arm through his, glad their little bathroom incident had loosened them up. Maybe everything would go back to normal between them. Maybe tonight would bring out more. Thinking of the possibilities, Hermione walked with him to a safe spot to Apparate, happy again for the first time in a long while.

* * *

A/N:I hope you enjoyed it!! Please REVIEW!!! XXOXXXO


	8. Fair Play

They walked along the street, being that it was a dead end not many people followed the street all the way. Hermione absently let her hand drift down to Severus', grinning when he held it, instead of letting it go. There was a light breeze, enough to lift both their hair, whipping it gently to the side. Her hair was quickly freeing itself from it's binding, brushing Severus' face. He glanced at her, and she quickly let go of his hand, pulling the band off as she attempted to redo it.

"Sorry." she mumbled, placing the band in her mouth as she wrestled with her hair. "Is got a mind o' its own." She managed past her teeth. She closed her eyes as she dragged it back, startled when a hand touched her side. She opened her eyes to see Severus looking at her.

"If I could...?" He looked pointedly at her hair, and shocked, she dropped the band from her mouth. It hit the ground and she blinked. He grinned at her and she bent to pick up the band, a slight color rising in her cheeks as she glanced at him next to her, remembering earlier that day, without looking at his eyes she handed him the band. He slid it to his wrist, positioning himself behind her and taking the unruly hair in his hands. He softly pulled at her hair, she closed her eyes as she savored the touch. A whisper met her ears as well as the weight of a spell.

He slid something onto her head, brushing a couple strands to the side of her face. She felt a spell being cast and looked at him. He smirked, clasping his hand with hers as he continued their walk. She let her free hand touch her head. She smiled when she felt a headband, it was thin, and if she knew anything about him, it was probably black.

She felt a slight pressure in her chest as she glanced sidelong at him, his kind gesture touching her. She realised they had finally reached the safest way to Apparate. Before he could pull away to check the area once more, she raised on her tip toes and lightly kissed his cheek. He stood still for a moment, the only sound was her feet shoving gravel as she stepped back. Blinking at her, he stiffly checked the area once more, before grasping her hand and Apparating.

* * *

The fair was as she expected it to be, all bright lights and noise. The fair was positioned at the edge of a dirt road, people on horses calmly talking as they rode by. There was a booth, crowded with eager customers as they all bought tickets and rushed inside. Hermione looked at Severus before walking forward, pulling out some of the muggle money she'd placed in her pocket before coming downstairs. Her hand seperated from his as she pulled out the money, she felt the distance with which he guarded himself from her. He was a few feet behind her now, cautiously walking, eyes flickering here and there as he surveyed their surroundings.

She stood in the line and he waited on the outskirts, she deduced that he didn't want to be cornered by the ever expanding group of muggles. She tapped her foot, the smell of cooking food from the booths lining the front of the fair making her mouth water.

"Just the one?" asked the tall clerk as he reached out for her money.

"Two, actually." she smiled back.

"Do you want passes for the fireworks show at 11:00?"

"How much more? She asked, wondering how much she'd have left for a snack or two. The price wasn't extravagant so she agreed. The man grinned, telling her the full amount. She handed it over, placing the change in her front pocket. The man gave her two wristbands, both blue with writing on it. Walking out of the line, Hermione found Severus leaning against a post, eyes catching hers before glancing at the wristbands.

"What are those?" he asked, brows furrowing as he glanced again at them then at her.

"Passes for a fireworks show at 11:00. You'll stay, won't you?"

Pausing as he, again, glanced around, Severus nodded."If you wish...."

Hermione heard a bang and her wand, as well as his, came out. They searched for the source, seeing a group of people cheering a diving act. A man dressed in a clown costume presented himself to the mob, his arms high over his head, then he smirked twirling as he dived. As he went in three men started their ascent. When the man splashed in the pool below, the people cheered, then he came out and the sound of a bang was heard again as they set off a fake cannon, smoke billowing for the open end.

Hesitating, they replaced their wands, shaking off their joint alarm. Hermione put on her band, handing Severus one. He placed it on his wrist, adjusting it slightly.

"Where to first?" she asked, smiling at Severus' folded arms and generally uncomfortable aura.

Unfolding his arms long enough to search his pockets, he procured a map. He handed it to her and crossed his arms again. Sniffing slightly, his stomach growled. His eyes shifted from her to the food and back.

"Food comes after the rides, so let's start on the east side." She wretched his hand from his chest, tugging him along. He followed her, eyes never focusing on anything long enough to really see.

"You want to try the Twister or the the Gallows?"

Shrugging half-heartedly, he sighed. "What are they and what do they do?"

"Well, the Twister is a ride where you..." Hearing excited screams, Hermione pointed it out. "See that?" She asked tapping his shoulder. He glanced up, watching the ride as it went.

The riders were strapped in horizontally, a flat metal piece covered with padding underneath them. There were six arms, two people per arm laying side by side. The ride took you up and down faster and faster, going in a tilted circular motion. He frowned at the ride and then wearily peeked at her.

"And the Gallows?" he questioned, looking like he'd run to the Gallows before being tied into that contraption.

"Well, its sort of like a big ring, where people sit in the seats that cover the big circle and it goes up to the top of its pole then after waiting a few seconds, it drops back down."

"That doesn't seem bad, where is this ride?"

Hermione and Severus walked a bit, in between milling people, long lines and striped tents filled with knick-knacks that most likely wouldn't make it to the car the people came in.

She pointed to it, it was at the top of its pole and, after a breathless two seconds, it dropped straight down, the people screeching in delight. Hermione glanced at Severus and saw a determined look on his face.

"That one." He growled, seeming to want to prove he wasn't scared of things like foolish muggle rides.

Nodding, they queued up with the rest of the people in a metal lane enclosure, the short line allowing them on without a wait. Buckling themselves in, Severus looked at her and she got a 'butterflies in the stomach' feeling out of anxiousness. The operator came by, checking belts and harnesses. After a quick sweep, he went back to his control post, speaking into the microphone.

"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the Gallows, where hanging is fun!!" A short chuckle followed this sentence and the riders had a collective shiver. "Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride."

She heard the sound of his mic turning off as he went to start the ride. Hermione focused on the sounds of the fair, laughing children, raucous announcers, other rides, bands somewhere in the distance clashing with radio booths broadcasting live, the pop and fizz of many balloons popping and drinks being served and the distinct sizzle of cooking food. Before she knew it, they were overlooking the whole grounds to the west, what seemed like miles and miles of multicolored tents, booths, people, rides, a ferris wheel and a ski lift full of people seeing the sights as she was.

She turned to Severus, about to say something when she felt the drop begin. Screaming like ever other person, the wind in her face and her stomach somewhere up at the top of the ride, she giggled as Severus let out a wild, loud laugh. They slowed down as they reached the ground, and the operator came over the intercom again.

"That was the Gallows, please exit to the left of the ride, thank you." his excited voice toned down, the operator went around making sure everyone was out. Severus and Hermione held hands again, laughing as they left the ride.

"Amazing!" He yelped, startling a few people nearby, but he didn't seem to care. "Absolutely amazing. What's next?"

He didn't wait for her to open her mouth, he just took the map from her back pocket where it was sticking out and opened it. His eyes hungrily took in the multiple rides before he stuck his finger on one.

"Let's try the Swinging Swords." Hermione knew that one. She took a breath to comment but he interrupted."Then the Armada...then the--"

Stopping his feverish planning, she touched his hand."We can't do to many in a row, you'll get a headache."

Frowning, a ghost of a smile still lighting his features, he pursed his lips."Why?"

Rolling her eyes, she placed her hands on his shoulders and guiding him to the Swinging Swords, she explained. "Because the rides make your brain fly around in your skull. So we're gonna do two more rides then we're eating. We have to let our noggins settle, then if you're up to it, and your food has had a chance to settle as well, we'll do a couple more before the fireworks."

She saw a petulant pout overcome his face and wondered if she was really talking to Severus Snape. They had a longer wait in this line, a lot of people wanting to take part. She eyed the swinging ride, watching as the two sections swung opposite each other. After crossing back and forth two times, getting higher and higher, they flipped over completely, screams of joy floating out of the ride. It did this twice then wound down, bringing the sections back to the ground.

Hermione had glanced at Severus when it flipped and she saw him gulp, his adam's apple bobbing as he did so.

"It's okay, it's safe." she reassured him, squeezing his hand to prove her point. He eyed her out of the corner of his eye like she was mad. But true to form, he gathered his resolve and walked forward when their time came. They slid in side by side, a teen sliding in front of them, followed by another. They strapped themselves in with the shoulder harnesses, waiting with almost queasy stomachs as the lanky operator in a blue shirt walked by, tugging on the plushy safety devices to make sure they were tight. Nodding to himself, he went to the other side, taking an extra minute with the invisible people on that side.

Giving near to the same intro as the other operator had, he started the ride. Hermione took a deep breath, preparing for it. It started slow, almost teasingly so, then it swung up, using that momentum to go back. It did it again, this time going higher, shoving them back against their seats. When it swung back again, their bodies flowing against the direction of the swing, Severus' hand grabbed hers, tightly grasping it. As they swung forward again like a pendulum, the swing completed itself, the speed with which they turned keeping them in their seats, but not from rising slightly. As their bottoms connected with the pleather seat again and it crossed back to swing to the opposite direction, she heard a soft gasp from Severus, his fingers, spasmodically clenching hers. They flipped once more, then the ride slowly came to a stop.

As the machine lowered them, Severus let go of her fingers. They unbuckled and he swayed as he went to the exit. She started towards the Armada, but he stopped her.

"Let's...let's just get some food, first. I think I understand what you're talking about with the headaches."

Smiling, she led him out of the rides and towards the food. Stomach growling, she sniffed out the booths. There was Henry's Hot Dogs, Giovana's Pizza, Clyde's Ice Cream, Fried Fruit, Pizza, Chicken and Steak on a Stick, Corn Dogs, Funnel Cakes, Paulie's Meatball Subs, Turkey Legs, and Pepper's Popcorn.

Then for drinks there was a Margarita Bar, Coka-Cola Stand, Ice Cold Root Beer, Fresh Lemonade, and a Pepsi Stand right next to a Sno Cones booth. Glancing at all of this, Hermione looked at him.

"What do you want to eat?"

Shrugging again, brow furrowed as he speedily read each sign, he mumbled quietly, "You haven't killed me yet, you pick."

Sighing and resisting rolling her eyes lest it start a headache, she slid her arm around his waist, smiling as he laid his arm across her shoulders. She sniffed at random booths, then caught a whiff of Giovana's Pizza right next to the Funnel Cakes and caved. "I'm gonna get us some pizza, go find us a table, please."

He nodded and, taking off, he disappeared into the crowd. She turned to the short, wide woman with red hair in Giovana's and ordered two small pizzas. They came to her before she'd even got the money out. Grinning from ear to ear, she took the two paper plates, giving the money in exact so she wouldn't have to wait for change. She looked around and found him a few yards away, head on a wood picnic table, slouching uncharacteristicly. She glided over to the table, setting down the food, tapping him on the shoulder and nodding to the food in a way of saying, "Watch this." He nodded, shooing her away again. She walked back to the Funnel Cake tent, ordering one, they were slower, but it came within seconds, she paid, rushing over to the drinks area and getting two lemonades.

Sighing happily once she'd set everything down, she sat opposite him, dividing the food. At the sound of her approach, he lifted his head, glancing at the food, then eyeing her with a cheerful gleam. She graced him with a smile before tucking in. They ate in silence, Severus' head slowly adjusting until he was back to his former posture. He laughed after finishing his pizza, smirking at her.

"How did you know that food would make the headache go away?"

Scoffing, she hastily swallowed before saying, "My mother never let me eat before getting on rides. She would only let me get on two before I would complain of a headache, much like you were."

Shifting in his seat as he pulled the funnel cake towards him, he sneered. "I'm not complaining."

Pointing the last piece of her pizza at him, she sternly said, "But you were walking around like a deflated balloon, huffing and such. It's almost the same."

"Almost is not at all." He mumbled, picking a piece of the funnel cake. Taking a bite, he paused."What in Merlin's name is this?"

Stifling a laugh at the powdered sugar coating his lips, she offered him a napkin."It's a funnel cake."

"I love funnel cakes." He mumbled, taking another bite and ignoring her napkin. Grinning, she thought of something else instead.

"Try this." she ordered in a kind voice, taking a piece and putting honey on it. "Now taste it." He took it from her and tentatively nibbled, eyes going wide as the wonderful combination met his taste buds.

"Oh..."He sighed, taking another bite. "That's better than before. You're a saint."

"I woudn't say that much, now." She corrected, taking a piece herself before he scarfed it all. Once only their drinks were left, he rose to throw away their trash.

* * *

He decided to forgo anymore rides and they made their way to the fireworks area. It was more than halfway across the grounds. They showed their paper bracelets to the man standing at the entrance and he allowed them through. Checking the large clock over the fairgrounds, she saw they only had ten minutes before the show. She had begun towards the front of the lounging people, but Severus took her to the outskirts, near the trees. He brought them into the pitch darkness, conjuering a blanket when no one was looking and laying it on the soft, green grass. He gestured for her to join him and she did, curling up next to his side. The night sky was clear, just as the weather report on the TV had announced and she smiled. She could see all the stars at this moment, and the light breeze that had persisted all night seemed to fit just right while she was in his arms and near the trees.

Cheers began and she knew the show was to start. They watched the sky as little ones went off, blue and green neon stars flashing in the sky, one after the other. Red followed next, popping bigger and bigger til it slowly left the sky. Then there was a black cat, which surprised everyone and the 'ooo's and 'aaahh's began. She watched as the next big one went off, a bright blue-ish white with long draping lines instead of short pointed ones. This morphed into a red-white that changed to a glowing navy blue before fading, all the colors mixed together. There was one that shot up from the ground like a geyser before another green one clashed with a pink one twice its size.

The show was nearing its finale, the fireworks going off in quicker succession, ten green, blue, red, yellow, pink, and white going off so close together the colors meshed. Then there was a leprechaun which reminded Hermione of her 4th year summer trip with the Weasleys, then shocking just Hermione and Severus before many bright colored ones went off in finale, for a fleeting five seconds the Dark Mark shown vibrant green against the night sky, the image melting just as the finale concluded.

In the pandemonium of the finale, no one but the two noticed cloaked figures heading towards them, wands trained on certain few. Rising to their feet, Severus and Hermione pulled their wands free of their pockets, sending Stunners at the three cloaked and masked fiends they saw. Once the stunners left their wands, the battle began.

Two of the Stunners took effect, the one man left taking off for the busier area of the fair. They chased him, sending carefully aimed spells at the Death Eater, avoiding the muggles. As they reached the main area, Severus cast a charm that masked their faces, but not like the death eaters, these masks were white. Hermione got the message that he was trying to get on the good side of the muggles, not scare them like the running Death Eater would. They were running past booths and stands, passing the mini games and such.

The Death Eater ran to one of the rare, wide open areas that had been used for a horse show a couple days ago, but was now just an open area with spot lights hightlighting the dirt and a closed achohol tent in the middle with two wood barrels on the sides filled with coconuts. When the man got to the open area, they saw they were grossly outnumbered, twenty to two. Hesitating, Hermione got an idea, swiftly transfiguring a few cups and plates from the trash into small cannon guns, she grabbed Severus' arm and Apparated to the tent. As Severus cast shield charms she set up her idea, a cannon facing one of four directions, she conjuered two more barrels, taking two coconuts from a barrel and placing one in each open one, she cast several mutiplying spells, happy when all were full to the brim. Casting another charm so they would automatically fill the cannons, she nodded to Severus. The Death Eaters had begun advancing and she thought they must want them alive if they hadn't attacked yet. As they got within twenty feet, she put her plan in motion, starting the cannons. They shot off endlessly, the Death Eaters either Apparating away from them or casting shield charms.

"Now!" She ordered, sending Stunners at the occupied ones, watching the barrels as they emptied. She refilled them, hearing cheers from the muggles as they took out the cloaked menaces. The cannons shot in a horizontal arc, moving like revolving fans. Soon there was only one left and only one coconut. Smirking at Severus, she tilted a cannon just right, shooting the object right at the man's head. His eyes rolled comically as he slowly fell backwards, a thud and a dust cloud the only thing left behind from their battle.

A silence filled the area, then the sound of many cheers and wolf-whistles met their ears as the muggles applauded their 'show'. Hermione looked to Severus and shrugged, moving out of the tent and into an open spot.

"Eh, it's just fair play." He grinned at her. Taking Severus' hand and smiling, she bowed to the crowd, who cheered even more. After the cheers finally hushed, the crowd dispersed, leaving the fair as it closed down. As the exiting hit a plateau, Severus sent a Patronus out behind her back, straight to the Ministry. They had alot of bad guys to round up.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it!! It was so much fun to write. Oh, and I've been on almost all of those rides, though the Gallows is my substitute for the Hangman at Frontier City in Oklahoma where I live, as the Twister is actually a ride at my State Fair, and the Armada is akin to something I think was at fairs past which was this Pirate ship, but it could be the Prairee Schooner from Frontier City as well. The Prairee Schooner is a ride that is shaped like a ship that swings back and forth, higher and higher, it's really fun. Now the Swinging Swords is a cover for the Tomahawk ride that was discontinued at Frontier City and replaced by the Steel Lasso, but it is almost exactly as I discribed it. I really don't know what it feels like, I was too chicken to get on *blushes and coughs*, but I do believe it would feel something like the Diamondback, also at Frontier City(I must sound like an advertisement for the place now...*sighs and grins*), its a roller coaster that goes forward into a loop, then comes out at the other end. Once it has gone up the other side and comes to a rest it goes backwards through the loop and back to the front. I based the weight shifts on that experience. The whole not eating before the rides thing actually came a personal memory at the 2008 Oklahoma State Fair. I went on three different rides back to back and had a wicked headache afterwards. It didn't leave until I settled down, ate some food and just walked around. Anyhoo, out of my personal musings, I hope you liked it, Please REVIEW!!! XOXOXOXO


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